SUBJECT: RULES AND REGULATIONS ON THE HYGIENIC HANDLING PRACTICES OF MECHANICALLY DEBONED MEAT (MDM)

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1 Draft as of 23 August 2011 September 2011 Administrative Order No Series of 2011 SUBJECT: RULES AND REGULATIONS ON THE HYGIENIC HANDLING PRACTICES OF MECHANICALLY DEBONED MEAT (MDM) WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No 7394 otherwise known as The Consumer Act of the Philippines requires the Department of Agriculture to provide safety and quality standards for consumer products related to agriculture to assure the protection of the public against unreasonable risks of injury and hazards to health; Republic Act (RA) No 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code requires the provincial, municipal and city governments to regulate the preparation and sale of foodstuff for public consumption such as meat; and Presidential Decree No 856 (Code of Sanitation of the Philippines) provides for the sanitary requirements in the operation of markets; WHEREAS, Republic Act No 9296 requires the NMIS in Section 6 Rule 6.5a to prescribe the Guidelines in the proper handling of meat and meat products during transport and distribution, and in Rule 6.5f, the setting of standards on meat and meat products in coordination with other standard setting agencies. WHEREAS, one method of increasing meat yield from a carcass is mechanical deboning. Mechanically deboned meat can be obtained from pork, beef and poultry. In the Philippine meat processing industry, the use of mechanically deboned meat has increased rapidly beginning 1998 to the present. A substitute for protein content, good technological properties and relatively low price make these product useful raw materials for the manufacturer of processed meat; NOW, THEREFORE, I, PROCESO J ALCALA, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Chairperson of the NMIS Meat Inspection Board (MIB), by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby issue this Order prescribing the rules and regulations on hygienic handling of Mechanically Deboned Meat as raw materials in the production of processed meat and meat products. Section 1 SCOPE This Order covers the hygienic handling of Mechanically Deboned Meat from any food animal as raw materials for processing of meat and meat products. Section 2 1

2 DEFINITION OF TERMS The following terms as used in this Order shall mean: 1. Controlling Authority the official authority charged by the government with the control of meat hygiene and meat inspection. 2. Comminuted meat- meat that is reduced in size by methods including chopping, flaking, grinding, or mincing. 3. Meat refers to the edible part of the carcass including offal derived from food animal. It may be newly slaughtered, chilled, frozen or thawed. 4. Meat Cold Storage Warehouse meat establishment that is accredited by the Controlling Authority, which is being used for the storage of local and/or imported frozen meat. 5. Meat Establishments premises such as slaughterhouses, poultry dressing plants, meat cutting plants, meat processing plants and cold storage warehouses where in food animals are slaughtered and meat is prepared, cut or processed, pre-packaged, handled and/or stored and accredited by the NMIS or registered by the LGU s to conduct the indicated meat handling activity. 6. Meat Inspection Certificate is an official document issued by NMIS or LGU s at meat establishments, to indicate that the meat inspected at a specified date and time was found to be safe and wholesome. 7. Mechanically Deboned Meat (MDM) also called Mechanically Separated Meat (MSM) or Mechanically Recovered Meat (MRM) is any finely comminuted product resulting from the mechanically separation and removal of most of the bone from attached skeletal muscle of livestock and poultry carcasses and parts of carcasses. 8. Labeling - includes any written, printed or graphic matter that is present on the label, accompanies the food, or is displayed near the food, including that for the purpose of promoting its sale or disposal. 9. Meat Market refers to the following premises where meat is sold directly to consumers Wet Market a market where most of the food commodities for sale are generally unprocessed and perishable. It may be either of the following: Public market a market owned, operated and/or managed by the government intended to serve the general public Private market a market owned, operated and/or managed by private individuals or entities, cooperatives, institution or corporation intended to serve the general public Meat Shop is a facility or a place independent of a wet market authorized to sell meat and/or meat products Supermarket and grocery stores a market distinct from a wet market in which shoppers select meat from refrigerated shelves or display chillers maintaining the required product temperature. 10. Meat Product - a product capable of use as human food which is made wholly or in part from any meat or other portion of the carcass of any food animal, except products which contain meat or other portions of such carcasses only in a relatively small portion or historically have not been considered by consumers as products of the meat industry, and are exempted from definition as a meat product by the Secretary under such conditions as he may 2

3 prescribe to assure that the meat or other portions of such carcasses contained in such product are not adulterated and that such products are not represented as meat products. 11. Processed - refers to meat that has been subjected to methods of manufacture and preservation but does not include pre-packaged fresh, chilled, or frozen meat. Section 3 TYPE OF MEAT, SOURCE AND CERTIFICATION 3.1 Type of Meat Only MDM from any food animal certified as fit for human consumption by the controlling authority of the source country shall be allowed for use in processing of meat and meat products. 3.2 Source MDM shall be sourced from foreign meat establishment accredited by the Department of Agriculture. The animal health status in the country of source should be considered. 3.3 Certification Animal Health Certificate from Controlling Authority Certificate of Analysis (proximate analyses and calcium; microbial analyses) or Letter of Guarantee from the supplier (between importer and exporter). Section 4 MARKETING 4.1 Marketing MDM is not allowed for sale in meat markets Meat traders can only market to the accredited or registered meat processors. Section 5 SAFETY AND QUALITY PARAMETERS 5.1 General requirements Mechanically Deboned Meat shall be of one species, edible, with characteristic organoleptic/ sensory properties of the specified comminuted meat and free from of off-odors and off-flavors (when cooked), e.g., rancid, stored, and foreign matters. 5.2 Sensory Properties Free from distinct objectionable colors, odors and flavours indicative of decomposition and/or rancidity. 5.3 Physico-Chemical 3

4 At least 98% of the bone particles present in the product shall have a maximum of no greater than 0.5 mm in their greatest dimension and there shall be no bone particles larger than 0.85 mm in their greatest dimension Free from presence of any matter (eg insect fragments, hair, metal and wood chips etc) that has not been derived from meat or from the processing aids used that poses a threat to human health and is readily recognized without magnification. 5.4 Nutrient composition Protein content The protein content shall be at least 14 percent Fat content The fat content shall not be more than 30 percent Calcium content* The calcium content shall not be more than 1.5 percent Microbiological Limits The microbiological limits of mechanically deboned meat shall be as follows: Test/Microorganism n c m M SPC/APC, cfu/g x x 10 7 (ICSMF, comminuted meat and poultry) SPC/APC, cfu/g (EU, x x 10 6 MDM) Salmonella (EU, 50 5 Absent pork) Salmonella (EU 50 7 Absence in 25 g poultry) Escherichia coli, cfu/g (EU, MDM) n- the number of sample units selected from a lot of food to be examined m the acceptable level of microorganisms determined by a specified method; the values are generally based on levels that are achievable under GMP M the level which when exceeded in one or more samples would cause the lot to be rejected as this indicates potential health hazard or imminent spoilage c the maximum allowable number of defective or marginally acceptable units 1 USFDA Limitations with Respect to use of Mechanically Separated (Species) 9 Code of Federal Regulations Ch. III Codex Alimentarius Commission Recommended International Code of Practice for the Production, Storage and Composition of Mechanically Separated Meat and Poultry Meat Intended for Further Processing (CAC/RCP ). (To be analyzed for Calcium Content only if ash content is more than 1.5%) 4

5 Section 6 PACKAGING AND LABELLING OF MDM 6.1 MDM shall be packaged in a manner that shall ensure the quality, safety and traceability of the product and: should have a primary package like polyethylene bags and secondary package like carton boxes primary package should have the following characteristics: oxygen permeable and food grade material free from any defect such as pinholes and/or cuts secondary package should be of appropriate strength to maintain the integrity of the package. 6.2 Package must be properly labelled to include the following information: Name and type of the product Net quantity 6.2.2Name and address of the company and country of origin and establishment number Packing Date Lot identification code Safe handling instruction including product temperature requirements Inspection stamp/sticker/seal of the exporting country/ and reflecting the foreign Meat Inspection Certificate Number Production Date Expiry date Section 7 SAMPLING AND MONITORING 7.1 Frequency Concerned processors have to submit MDM samples as per announcement or due notice by the controlling authority. 7.2 Volume Two hundred fifty (250) grams of MDM sample shall be submitted to NMIS Laboratory. 7.3 Monitor product for registration The LGUs or NMIS shall monitor the right flow and processing of MDM for registration. Section 8 TRANSPORT OF MDM 8.1 MDM shall be derived from accredited Cold Storage Warehouse and delivered to an accredited or locally registered meat processing plant. 8.2 All MDM for transport shall conform to the following: 5

6 transported in an accredited vehicles that shall always be kept clean and regularly disinfected. The vehicle should not have been used for transporting live animals or any other cargo which may adversely affect its safety and quality transported in refrigerated vehicles and/or insulated containers that are able to effectively maintain the required product temperature. Equipment for continuous monitoring and recording of temperature should accompany transport vehicles and bulk container wherever appropriate loaded and unloaded manually should be properly protected from contamination by meat handlers transport vehicle should not carry any other materials that can be a source of contamination MDM should be transported in a manner that will not result to thawing if the meat is inadvertently exposed to adverse temperature conditions or sources of contamination that may affect safety and suitability, an inspection should be carried out by a competent person before further transport or distribution is allowed Section 9 RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEAT IMPORTERS, MEAT TRADERS, MEAT PROCESSORS AND MEAT HANDLERS 9.1 Meat importers and traders Secure Veterinary Quarantine Clearance from the Controlling Authority Ensure that meat they handle and distribute or sell is safe and is of good quality and sold within the prescribed time from production date Ensure traceability by keeping appropriate record of transactions. 9.2 Meat processors Proper handling of MDM (eg usage of MDM as raw material should not go beyond one year from the earliest production date) Sourcing from accredited country 9.3 Meat handlers They are required to comply with the following: Meat Handler s license issued by LGUs which shall in turn submit the registry to NMIS annually; Annual Health Certificate issued by the LGU Health Office; and Certificate of Attendance to the Orientation on this Guidelines Section 10 STORAGE AND HANDLING The following rules and regulations shall be observed in the handling of frozen MDM: 6

7 The storage temperature of the frozen mechanically deboned meat shall be maintained at -18 O C or below 1. No indication of thawing There shall be no mixing or intermingling of different types/species of MDM MDM shall be utilized within one year from earliest date of production When required, cutting and repacking of frozen MDM into smaller blocks shall take place under temperature controlled conditions in an accredited or registered meat establishment and the internal product temperature of no higher than 0 C be maintained. Section 11 REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONNEL HYGIENE 11.1 Persons known or suspected to be suffering from, or to be carriers of illness/es likely to be transmitted through meat and/or person to person, shall not be allowed to handle (eg. sell, cut) meat; 11.2 Meat handlers must take all necessary steps to prevent the contamination of meat by maintaining a high degree of personal cleanliness that include, but not limited to the following: a. Taking a bath before going to work; b. Wearing clean apron and hairnet during work; c. Keeping nails trimmed, clean and without nail polish; d. Not wearing of jewelries, accessories and perfumes; e. Using suitable protective clothing which shall be changed everyday or as often as necessary Meat Handlers shall be aware and adopt the proper hand washing practices: a. Steps in hand washing: i. Wet hands with potable water ii. Soap, lather, and scrub all parts of the hands, fingers and wrists iii. Rinse and dry with clean cloth or towel b. Wash hands frequently to prevent contamination of the meat, including but not limited to the following: i. before, during and after work; ii. immediately after using the toilet; iii. after coughing and sneezing; iv. after contact with dirty objects and materials; v. before and after eating To prevent contamination of meat, the following but not limited to, shall be strictly prohibited, while at work: a. smoking; b. drinking; c. spitting; d. chewing or eating; e. sneezing or coughing over meat and meat products; f. urinating in the meat stall; g. handling of unpacked meat, money, and receipts at the same time; and h. grooming (eg. combing, nail trimming) Meat handlers are prohibited from working when infected with diseases such as jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, sore throat with fever; visibly infected skin lesions (eg boils, cuts etc) and discharges from eye or nose; 7

8 Section 12 DECLARATION OF MDM IN FINISHED PRODUCT Labeling requirements for finished products with MDM as ingredient shall be guided by AO 24 Series of 2010 Section 4 specifying MDM as one of the ingredients, species source (eg MDpork, MDchicken/MDturkey) and percentage of utilization. Section 13 IMPLEMENTING AGENCY To ensure effective implementation of this Order, the following concerned agencies shall: 13.1 The Local Government Units (LGU) being the principal implementing authority on the regulation of meat and meat products within their territorial jurisdiction as mandated under RA 7160 and EO 137, shall implement and monitor the compliance with this Order The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) shall assist the LGUs in the implementation of this regulation. Section 14 PENALTY PROVISION All persons or corporations, found guilty of directly or indirectly violating any provisions of this Order, in addition to penalties and sanctions prescribed in Republic Act 9296, otherwise known as the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines may also be charged for violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines and other related laws. Section 15 SEPARABILITY CLAUSE In the event one or more of such provisions are held unconstitutional, the validity of other provisions shall not be affected thereby. Section 16 REPEALING CLAUSE The provisions of existing Implementing Rules and Regulations, Memorandum Circulars, and other issuances that are inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby modified, revoked or repealed accordingly. Section 17 EFFECTIVITY This Administrative Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of national circulation or in the Official Gazette or its filing with the UP Law Center. 8

9 RECOMMENDED BY: ATTY JANE C BACAYO, DVM, MPA Executive Director National Meat Inspection Service APPROVED: PROCESO J ALCALA Secretary 9